


Winds of Change

by supremenovas



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: F/M, M/M, Mature tag is for violence and language, Noah Allen Walker, Not Canon Compliant, OOC characters, Pre-Established Relationship, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-05-23 10:51:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14932850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremenovas/pseuds/supremenovas
Summary: REWRITE OF AN OLD WORK.What happens when the road to heaven isn't all it's cracked up to be? Simple, you raise some hell.Allen's tired and weary, Lavi's anxious and confused. They can't help themselves, so it's a good thing the Noah Family is around to help.





	1. Change

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place after the Noah's Ark Arc.

Allen Walker sighed as he fell backwards on the piano bench, the cushioned seat pressing comfortably against his back. He stared up at the pure white ceiling of the Ark, frowning pensively while Timcanpy munched on a muffin, sitting atop the piano as his little golden wings fluttered lazily.

The exorcist let the sound of the crunching fill the air for a while before sighing again.

' _Sighing like that, it's no wonder that people mistake you for an old man, Allen.'_

Allen looked over to the mirror on the wall, where the shadowy figure of the Noah inside him stared back, the pupil-less eyes and macabre grin as eerie as ever.

The white haired teen scowled back, huffing. “Shut it, Nea. I'll sigh all I want to.”

' _Fair enough.'_ The Musician chuckled. ' _Then, will you tell your uncle what has you so upset?'_

Allen hesitated in saying so for a moment. He often did so when speaking to his inner Noah. Ever since returning from their battles in the Ark, he'd felt a near constant presence in his mind that ended up being Nea, the Fourteenth himself. Steadily that presence grew stronger and stronger until the Noah began speaking to him, telling Allen exactly who and what he was.

It didn't go smoothly at first—there was a lot of shouting and denial from Allen (who couldn't really be blamed, given what Rouvelier had said about the Fourteenth)--but eventually the exorcist calmed down enough to listen to what Nea had to say. And Allen learned a lot, listening to the man.

It did still hurt to know Mana had a twin brother and yet he never told Allen about him, but Allen pushed the hurt down. Mana was gone; there was no changing the past.

Sighing once again, he laid back on the seat. “I've stopped walking. My promise to Mana is really all I have... but what am I doing now? Everyone in the Order, save a few, all think I'm a heretic and a traitor to the Church. I can't even go anywhere without Link breathing down my neck!” It was just pure luck that the inspector had a meeting with Rouvelier at the moment, giving Allen some time to himself.

He shook his head. “I've done so much, all for them and their sake... for humanity's sake. Is this how humans are supposed to repay one another?”

' _No but, unfortunately, this is how things are.'_ Nea's grin seemed to dim, just a bit. ' _You've known that since you were very small, Allen.'_

Allen's memories drifted back in time to his 'parents', if one could call them that, and to his time at the circus. Both times before Mana, and times in his life that he would much rather forget.

“I know,” he replied softly. As much faith as he wanted to put in the Black Order, in humanity, Allen had been burned too many times. This was the last straw. “But where can I go from here?”

' _That is a question that only you can answer. But before you ponder on that, I think you should wait to ponder on that. It seems you have a visitor in your room.'_

So Link was back already? But if it was, then Nea would have said so. Tilting his head curiously, Allen sat up and waited for Tim to flutter onto his shoulder before exiting the Ark.

What awaited him wasn't quite what he was expecting.

Sitting on his bed, dressed to the nines with one leg crossed over the other and smoking without a care in the world, was one Tyki Mikk, dressed down in his human form.

Without looking up at him, Tyki blew out a puff of smoke to the ceiling. “Long time no see, boy.”

Allen stared at the Noah for a long moment, and in the next instant he activated the Crown Clown. “Tyki Mikk...!” Raising his left hand, he quickly swiped his claws down... and cut the cigarette in half, effectively putting it out.

“...How many times have I told you not to smoke in my room?” Allen scolded lightly. “What would I tell Link if he ends up asking why my room reeks of cigarette smoke?”

Tyki chuckled, dropping the other half of the stick on the floor. “I'm sure you can come up with a good story to tell. You're an even better liar than I am, after all.”

Unable to argue with that, Allen only huffed and deactivated his Innocence before moving to sit next to Tyki. Taking in the man's appearance, he reached to lightly tug at a strand of the Noah's very long hair, which Tyki currently had pulled back in a ponytail.

“Your hair grew,” was Allen's simple observation. “It suits you.”

Tyki hummed. “You think so? I think I might cut it. It wasn't like it was my choice to grow it; it got this way after... well, you know.”

And Allen did know, so he wouldn't pursue Tyki's line of thought. It was something that neither of them seemed to want to talk about, anyway. “Don't cut it, it _does_ look nice. Maybe you could have Road braid it.” He tugged again, grinning a little.

“Not a chance,” Tyki scoffed, earning himself a laugh from Allen. The Noah grinned himself before his expression became a bit serious. “There's something bothering you. You had this... look when you came out of your Ark.”

Allen blinked in surprise, not expecting Tyki to have been able to pick up on that. Then again, this odd, secret friendship of theirs had been going on for quite some time. Since they met on the train, in fact.

After the game, in the little time they had before Allen had to leave the train, the two of them continued to talk and agreed to correspond in secret, up until the events in Edo. Finding out that they were on opposite sides of the war was hard, and fighting each other has been even harder. It honestly devastated Allen far more than he let on when he ran Tyki through with his Sword of Exorcism. But seeing that Tyki was here, alive and concerned about him, there was clearly no bad blood between them.

“Allen?” Tyki's voice interrupted his thoughts, and the Noah looked honestly concerned now.

Allen shook his head. “It's nothing, Tyki. I've just... been thinking about a few things.”

“I see. And do these things have anything to do with you being the Fourteenth?”

Tyki waved off Allen's shocked stare. “Did you really think that the Order would know something like this before the Noah did? They still think you're just the 'player', don't they? The Earl figured out who you really were not long after everything in the old Ark.”

“And?” That couldn't have been it, not with all that Nea had done. “How did he react?”

“Well, it _seemed_ like he was happy and angry at the same time.” Tyki shrugged. “But who knows? Trying to get inside the Millennium Earl's head is pretty much impossible. You'd be better off asking him yourself.”

Now it was Allen's turn to scoff. “As if he'd want to have a civil conversation with me. He's probably sooner just kill me and be done with it.”

“You never know boy, things can change.” Tyki raised an eyebrow. “You didn't say that you didn't want to meet with him. Is the reason behind that another one of those 'things' that you were thinking about?”

“Stop being so damn perceptive,” Allen grumbled.

Tyki gave a cheeky grin, and gestured for Allen to speak.

Seeing no way out of this, the exorcist sighed. “There's no place for me here, not anymore. Most of the Order have already turned on me, and they all think I'm just the 'player'. Imagine what they'll say when they find out I host the Fourteenth! It's like what I've done all this time doesn't matter one bit... I'm still me, but they treat me like an enemy.”

“Humans fear what they can't understand. And when they fear, they lash out,” Tyki pondered, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. “Sad, really.”

Allen nodded, then sighed again. Maybe Nea was right; he _was_ sighing a lot.

Silence fell over the two of hem for a while, until Tyki spoke up. “Well then, if they're so afraid of an enemy, then why not give them one?”

Allen looked up to Tyki, shock and confusion painted across his face. “What are you talking about?”

The Noah shrugged. “Just as I said. If they already see you as a Noah, then just give them what they want. From what you've told me, there's really nothing left for you here.”

It wasn't like Tyki was wrong about that. He honestly felt that nothing would progress, nothing would change if he stayed with the Order. But still...

“My friends...”

“And what about them?” Tyki countered. “Have they done anything in your defense?”

“Well...” Damn it, another good point. “No... they've all been concerned and asked if I'm alright, but they've never actually stood up for me... except for Lavi. But he's been acting a little... off, lately.”

“Off?”

Allen nodded. “He seems distracted by something... he spaces out a lot. And once when I shook him out of it, he looked at me like he was ready to bite my head off before saying sorry.” He frowned thinking about that. “It's been happening ever since we came back from the Ark.

Tyki tilted his head. “Lavi is the one with the eye patch, right? The Bookman's Apprentice?” He laughed a bit. “That's really funny. Did you know that in the past, the Bookman clan were allied with the Noah?”

That's right, Allen distantly remembered in their fight with Jasdevi, one of the twins did mention something along those lines. Still, it didn't make it any less shocking. “Seriously?”

“Dead serious,” Tyki replied with a nod. “But anyway, if this Lavi is s good of a friend as you hope he is, then leave a message for him. But the decision is ultimately yours.”

He pinned Allen with a serious stare. “What do you want, Allen Walker?”

What did he want? That was something that Allen never really let himself think about. What he wanted, versus what was good for everyone else? He's never had the choice... and now he did. And despite everything, he knew what he wanted. After all he had been through, put others through, and what people have done for him in return, Allen knew.

“I've done so much for them,” he muttered, looking down to his left hand, where his Innocence sat dormant. The honest cause of all of his grief. “I've never gotten anything worthwhile in return. Maybe... maybe humanity just isn't worth it anymore.”

' _They never were.'_

'And what about you, Nea? If I make this choice, you know where we'll be going.'

Nea was silent for a hesitant beat. ' _I will go where you go, Allen. For you, I will attempt to... play nice, with my family.'_

Allen had to hide his surprise at such a declaration. Even with how close he and his inner Noah had become, he hadn't expected Nea to just go with this. Shaking his head, he turned back to Tyki, who was awaiting his answer. “I want to leave. I don't have anything left to give... I'm done.”

Tyki's brown eyes shined with a pleased lightly, and he offered a hand to Allen. “Well then, shall we? I planned to use one of Road's doors to return to the Ark, but I'm sure she won't mind another passenger.”

Allen paused just for a moment before taking Tyki's offered hand. “Wait. There's something I have to do.”

He turned to Timcanpy, who was sitting on the windowsill, watching them. “Tim? I need you to do something for me.”

* * *

 

“Are you sure that was a good idea?” Tyki questioned, releasing Allen's hand once he'd phased them out of the Black Order with his power, amazingly (and pitifully) undetected.

“It was your idea to leave a message in the first place,” Allen pointed out.

“And since when do you listen to my ideas?”

Allen's shrug was his answer to that. “He's the only one in there I can really trust. Even if he doesn't agree with my choice, I trust him not to tell anyone.”

“If you say so.” Before Tyki could say more, a checkered, black and red door in the shape of a heart rose from the ground in front of them. However, instead of Road greeting them when it opened, the one who stepped out was none other than the Millennium Earl himself.

Allen tensed immediately, and barely kept himself from activating his Innocence on pure reflex. Even with his decision, coming face to face with the leader of the Noah Clan was cause for alarm.

Tyki, however, gave the Earl a smile, nodding politely. “Good evening, Lord Millennium. I didn't expect to see your here.”

The Earl hummed jovially. “Well, Road informed me that a new family member would be joining us soon, so I decided to greet you personally~!”

Allen felt just a small bit of the tension leave him. “She can tell things like that?”

“Of course! But I must say, Allen Walker, that you were the absolute last person I expeted to see!”

The exorcist gripped at his pant leg a little, trying to keep his calm. “Because I'm an exorcist? Or... because I host the Fourteenth?”

The Earl chuckled lowly. “You are a smart boy, Allen. Both are absolutely correct. You, an exorcist, host the memory of the traitorous Fourteenth.” His macabre grin never changed, but there was a dark tone in his voice that set Allen back on edge in a heartbeat.

And apparently, Tyki as well, because he tensed and stepped in front of Allen a bit, partially blocking the earl's view of him.

There was an oppressive beat of silence before the Earl spoke again, the darkness in his voice gone. “Well, that's in the past! What matters now is that our long lost brother has returned to us~!”

Allen couldn't help it; he gaped at the Earl in shock. “Wha—just like that?” After Nea slaughtered nearly the entire family?

“Just like that~!” The Earl laughed. “The thing about family, Allen, is that no matter what they do, we always forgive them. Because true family is something that is unconditional.”

Allen just stared, almost disbelieving. Never in his life did he believe that he could be accepted by anyone so easily, so readily, and by the Millennium Earl on top of that.

At that moment, he felt something run down his face, and when he reached a hand to catch it, his fingers came back wet.

“Wha... tears?” he muttered, attempting to wipe them away, but they only fell faster.

Tyki closed his eyes with a little smile, and moved to the side just in time to allow the Earl to pull Allen in for a hug. “There there. Everything is alright now~,” the First Noah cooed.

Allen froze or a moment, not used to this sort of contact from anyone. Even Lenalee had only hugged him once or twice. Oddly enough, though, he believed the Earl's words, and slowly raised his arms to return the embrace.

'This... feels like Mana's hugs,' he thought, closing his eyes as the tears continued to silently fall.

Nea remained silent.

Eventually, slowly, the tears stopped and Allen reluctantly pulled away from the Earl, wiping the remaining tears away.

“Better? If so, then we should get a move on!” The Earl cheered with a weird little bounce and twirl of his umbrella, which Allen remembered was named Lero. “It wouldn't do for us to be discovered. Ready to go home, Allen?”

Home. A word he's only ever associated with Mana and the Order. Turning back to look at the dark castle, Allen took in a deep breath before looking back to the Earl with a small smile.

“I'm ready. Let's go... Lord Millennium.”

The Earl's grin seemed to grow impossibly larger, and he turned to walk through he door. “Then let us be off! Come along, Tyki-pet~!”

Allen snorted, looking up to Tyki with a cheeky, very amused grin. “'Tyki-pet'?”

Tyki sighed, annoyed. “An irritating nickname that never goes away,” he grumbled, following aster the Earl. There was no way that Allen would let him live this one down.

Allen grinned wider, and followed the other two through Road's door.

This time, he didn't look back as the doors closed behind him.

 


	2. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously: Allen laments his life choices before receiving a visit from Tyki. He makes the decision to leave the Black Order in favor of the Noah Clan. Together with Tyki and the Millennium Earl, he steps through Road's door and leaves his old life as an exorcist behind.

“What do you mean 'Allen's gone?!'”

Komui's distressed shout nearly shook the walls of the Science Department the next morning. Kanda, Lenalee, and Lavi were summoned to Komui's office at the behest of Director Malcolm C. Lvellie and Inspector Howard Link. The chief was staring at Link in what could only be absolute shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Link gave an irritable sigh. “It's just as I said, Chief Komui. Allen Walker has been missing since last night. He is gone.”

Kanda scoffed from his place leaning against the wall, putting some distance between himself and the rest of the group. “Aren't you supposed to be the beansprout's watch dog? How'd you let him out of your sight?”

“And why did it take you until the morning to alert someone if he was missing since last night?” Komui interjected.

“Even I cannot keep my eye on him every single second,” Link explained with another annoyed huff. “I was in a meeting with the Inspector and I _assumed_ that it would be fine to leave Walker alone for an hour or so. And to answer your question, Chief, it took me so long because I was searching for Walker all night, as this is a relatively large castle.”

Lenalee fidgeted nervously, worry clear on her face as she crossed her ankles where she sat. “You don't think something's happened to Allen, do you? I mean, it isn't like him to just leave after everything...”

“Maybe the Noah got 'im.” Komui and Lenalee turned to Lavi in absolute shock at such a callous comment. The Bookman's apprentice only shrugged in response. “Just throwin' ideas out there.”

Komui frowned at how... unconcerned Lavi sounded, and shook his head. “Let's not jump to conclusions. I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for all of this--”

“Be that as it may, Chief Komui,” Lvellie spoke up as he pompously sat at Komui's desk, wearing a slimy grin that sent cold shivers down Lenalee's spine. “The fact of the matter is that Allen Walker, suspected of being involved with the Fourteenth Noah, is missing, and after he was informed of being under suspicion no less. At such a time, there is only one thing to do.”

Lvellie slammed his hands down on the desk, effectively startling everyone present with the exception of Kanda and Link. “Allen Walker must be considered a _traitor_ of the Church.”

Lenalee gasped and Komui quickly turned to the man. “Hold a moment, Director! We don't know the circumstances of Allen's disappearance. At least let us send out a search party for him!” Komui wasn't sure if a search party would really do any good, or even find Allen at all, but it was better that having the boy declared a traitor. At the very least, this could buy them some time until they found out what exactly happened.

Lvellie could apparently sense what Komui was trying to do, because the smile on his face turned condescending as he shook his head. “The facts are all here, Komui, no matter how much you try to stall the inevitable... but I will indulge you. Send out your search party if you wish.”

Kanda made an irritated noise. “And what exactly was the point in calling us here? None of us have our weapons, so we can't be a part of this so-called 'search party'.”

“I had originally called the three of you here for questioning, as you are all particularly close to Walker,” Lvellie explained, staring daggers at the three exorcists. “And therefore, you are all under suspect of being accomplices.”

Kanda's eyes narrowed and Lenalee paled. Lavi's expression was completely blank.

After a few tense, silent seconds, the Director waved his hand dismissively. “However, as you have stated, none of you have access to your Innocence. It would be quite difficult for you to aid Walker's escape from such a vast and guarded castle unnoticed without such. So, for the time being, you three are dismissed.”

Kanda abruptly marched out of the room without further prompting, an annoyed ' _che_ ' leaving him as he did so. Lenalee stood and glanced worriedly between her brother and Lvellie and looked ready to say something, but quickly shut her mouth and followed after Kanda. Lavi, however, didn't move. He had gone from staring blankly at Lvellie to staring vacantly out the window.

Apparently, the man didn't like being ignored. “Did you not hear me, Bookman? You are dismissed,” the Director snapped.

That seemed to snap Lavi out of whatever trance he was in, and he gave the man a glare that was pure poison before leaving, surprising everyone else in the room, Komui especially. He had never seen that look on Lavi's face before, and it honestly scared him. Shaking his head, he turned back to his work. He had a search party to arrange.

* * *

 

Once Lavi was outside, he shook his head and sighed, leaning against the wall. “Allen's gone... now what?” he muttered to himself.

Just then, a yellow blur appeared in the corner of his vision and, before he could react, Timcanpy slammed into the side of his head.

“ _Oww_! What the—Tim?!” Lavi blinked the stars out of his vision and started at the golem in shock. He was almost positive that Tim would be wherever Allen was, so the fact that he was _here_ shocked him. He let Tim settle into his hand and tilted his head curiously. “You're the last thing I expected to see today... why aren't you with Allen?”

Tim bounced in Lavi's hand a little before opening his mouth wide, showing off his sharp rows of teeth before a holographic image shined from the golem's mouth. From that, a memory began to play before Lavi's eyes.

' _Lavi?'_ In the memory, Allen looked directly back at him, his gray eyes cautious, rather tired, but determined.

“This memory is... for _me?_ ” Lavi was shocked, the question leaving him in a whispered breath. Of all people in the Order that Allen could have made this for, this memory was specifically for him?

The memory continued, unaware of Lavi's slight daze. ' _By now, everyone's probably noticed that I'm gone. Link probably knew right after, knowing how he is. Which is fine. But what they don't know is that I left of my own free will.'_

So he wasn't captured; Lavi figured as much. If Allen had been abducted, by the Noah or otherwise, then there was no way that he could have gone without a fight. He was stubborn like that.

' _I'm just... tired,'_ he sighed, confirming Lavi's earlier observation. _'All around me are people who've too easily turned their backs on me, despite what I've done. Because of something that I have absolutely no control over, they were quick to label me a traitor.'_ Allen shook his head. _'I honestly would have left sooner, but I had nowhere to go. But then... someone gave me an idea.'_

Allen leaned in closer, and for the briefest moment, Lavi could have sworn that those resolute gray eyes flashed gold.

' _If they want a traitor, then I'll give them just that. I'm leaving... to join the Noah clan.'_

Lavi's eye widened, but he remained silent.

' _Maybe they won't accept me. Maybe the Earl will just kill me as soon as he sees me. But it's still better than staying here, where it's clear that I've overstayed my welcome.'_ Here, Allen smiled a little. ' _And I'm telling you this because I trust you enough not to tell anyone.'_

_'Time to go, boy. It's now or never.'_

'That voice... Tyki Mikk?' He was in the Order last night? How?

Allen turned and gave the unseen Noah a nod, then turned back to Lavi. ' _Hopefully, the next time we meet, we won't be enemies. See you, Lavi.'_ And with that, the memory faded away.

Lavi stood silent in the vacant hallway for a few moments, and Tim flew up to rest on his head, nestling in his mess of red hair.

Allen left the Order... to join the Noah. The prophesied _Destroyer of Time_ was going over to the enemy.

The Junior Bookman sighed and scratched the back of his head, careful not to disturb Tim.

“'Hope the next time we meet, we won't be enemies', huh? That's... probably more likely than ya think, 'sprout,” he muttered to himself, and with a shake of his head, he turned and headed down the hallway to the library.

Things would be getting interesting soon.

* * *

 

Allen couldn't help but look around curiously as he followed the Earl and Tyki through the new Ark. It looked so much like the old one, _his_ Ark, if not for the fact that this was was a bit darker and devoid of the absolute white that the old one had. He hoped that he wouldn't get lost.

“This is cause for great celebration, boys!” the Earl cheered, walking with a weird little bounce in his step. “Our lost Fourteenth brother has returned to us, and soon more of our family will begin to resurface!”

Allen blinked. “They will? How can you tell?”

Tyki answered for the Earl. “All Noah have a sort of innate sense for that. We all can tell when a family member is near or about to awaken. But for Road and the Earl, the sense is much stronger.”

Allen tilted his head. He sort of got it, but it all seemed very complicated. He just mentally chalked that down as a Noah thing that was probably just instinctual for them.

The Earl seemed to sense Allen's confusion, and he laughed jovially. “You'll see in due time, young Allen! In the meantime, first order of business is to show you to your room!”

“My... room?” He already had a room?

“Of course~! As soon as Road and I knew that we would be gaining a new family member, I had the Akuma make all the necessary arrangements!”

 _Ah_. The Akuma. Allen didn't know how, but he'd somehow forgotten about the weapons of mass destruction that the Earl created from the grief of humanity. The very ones that he'd sworn he would save. Without thinking, his hand drifted to lightly touch the scar of his left eye, where his curse currently lay dormant.

Tyki noticed the action and frowned, and the Earl turned back a bit when Allen didn't respond.

“Ah yes, and we'll have to do something about that eye of yours. That pesky Innocence too.”

That shocked Allen out of his thoughts. “Do something?” he parroted, a bit fearful. His eye aside, what if the Earl decided to just destroy his Innocence? There was a piece of it in his heart that kept it together, kept him _alive._ If that was destroyed, then Allen would die, no matter what the Earl did.

“Well, we'll fret about that later!” The Earl waved a hand dismissively, seemingly unaware of Allen's distress. “For right now, go ahead and inspect your new room~.”

The former exorcist was surprised to see that they were already at their destination, which was in front of a large white door. Looking back to the Earl and then to Tyki, who gave him a small, encouraging nod, Allen took in a deep breath before turning the doorknob and opening the door.

The first thing he noticed about the room is that it was very _white._ Just as white as the door, in fact; even the bed sheets on the large (almost too large) bed were an almost blinding white, and above the bed on the wall rested a rather macabre painting of a white clown, which Allen found more comforting than frightening. The second thing that Allen noticed was that the room was _big_ , easily at least three times bigger than his room in the Order. There was a door on the far end that he assumed led to an equally large bathroom, and on the left hand side corner sat a white piano. One very similar to the one in his Ark. Allen's hands inched with an urge that was both his and Nea's to play it.

“My precious Akuma worked tirelessly to ensure that this room would be perfect in time for your arrival~.”

Allen was silent as he looked around, slowly walking over to the piano. Wordlessly, he rested his hand on it, and closed his eyes with a soft smile when he felt something... settle inside him. Like a wave of very pleasant nostalgia.

“I love it,” he replied softly, turning and giving the Earl a smile... a genuine one, which he felt he hadn't given anyone in a while. “Thank you, Earl.”

The Earl seemed pleased, though it was a bit tricky to tell since he was always smiling. “No need to thank me; you're family, after all. Now then, you go on and get settled. Family dinner is in an hour, and everyone must be in attendance~! Tyki-pet, help him out, will you?”

The Earl either didn't hear or ignored Tyki's annoyed grumble of “Please stop calling me that,” as well as Allen's resulting snickering at the nickname, and made his way out of the room, the door making a soft _click_ as it closed behind him.

Shaking his head with fond exasperation, the Noah of Pleasure turned to Allen. “Well? What are your thoughts?”

“Honestly?” Allen made a quick assessment of himself and how he felt, and came to one conclusion. “I think... I need a nap.”

That made Tyki laugh. “That bad, huh?”

Allen shrugged, and moved away from the piano to sit on the bed. “Not really _bad_... more like overwhelming. I've gone from being an exorcist to joining the Noah in less than five hours.” He fell back on the bed with a sigh, his descent making a light impact on the shockingly soft bed. It felt even more comfortable than it looked. “It's a lot to take in, and even _that_ feels like I'm understating.”

Tyki gave an idle hum as he sat himself on the other side of the bed. “Understandable. Go on and take that nap if you really need it, boy. I'll stick around.”

Allen looked up at the older man. “You'll wake me up for dinner?”

“If your stomach doesn't wake you first.”

“Asshole.” Allen turned his head away then, missing the smirk on Tyki's face and successfully hiding the smile on his own. Closing his eyes, he sighed and let himself drift off.

* * *

When Allen opened his eyes, he was in a new, yet somehow vaguely _familiar_ space. All it was, was a grassy wheat field as far as the eye could see, looking almost abandoned given how high the grass had grown. The only other noteworthy landmarks were the knotty, leafless tree that he was standing under, and the large and seemingly vacant house some feet in front of him. Above, the sky was a burning sunset, though the sun itself was somehow missing. Despite the oddity of the area, Allen felt somehow... at peace there.

“My dreams are usually never this peaceful,” he muttered to himself, taking a step forward from under the tree.

“And there lies the wonder of dreams, Allen. If you truly wish it, then they can take any form you want them to.”

Allen sharply turned, coming face to face with a man. He was dressed in semi-formal wear with a long, slightly tattered trench coat, his hair dark and short and his eyes a burning gold. Allen's first thought was to question why exactly he was dreaming about Tyki, but then he realized that it wasn't Tyki at all. And he knew very well who that voice belonged to.

“So... this is what you really look like, Nea?”

The Fourteenth chuckled. “Well, you didn't really think that I actually looked like a shadow with a creepy smile, now did you?”

“Who knows? At this point, I'm trying to stop being surprised,” was Allen's dry response as he looked around again. “Why am I dreaming of the this place, talking to you? Where exactly _is_ this place even?”

“ _Where_ we are can be explained later. As for the _why_... well, I called you here.” Moving to sit down under the knotted tree, Nea pat a patch of grass next to him. “Sit with me, Allen. We have some things to discuss.”

With no reason to protest, Allen nodded and did as he was told, sitting next to his adoptive uncle. “Alright, what are we discussing?”

Nea smiled at Allen before gazing out to the large house, his eyes oddly wistful. “Your decision, and what will happen next.”

Allen was immediately at attention.

The Noah sighed. “I can't really say that I agree with your choice, Allen. I slaughtered most of the Noah Clan thirty-five years ago, and I don't particularly regret those actions. I had my reasons for doing what I did.”

Allen opened his mouth to interject, but Nea raised a hand.

“I'm not done. I don't regret what I did... but I am willing to put that aside, for the sake of the path that you have chosen to walk.”

“Are you serious?” Given the situation, Allen really couldn't be blamed for sounding a tad disbelieving.

Nea, to his credit, gave a casual shrug. “It's your body, and therefore your decisions. You just happen to be hosting my memories in it.”

“I...” Despite his earlier words, Allen was near speechless with surprise. Even after how close they had gotten, he hadn't expected Nea to just... step aside like this. It would have been suspicious to him if he hadn't grown to trust Nea as his actual family. “Thank you.”

The Musician waved off the thanks easily with a light laugh. “What sort of uncle would I be if I didn't support your choices? Now... on to what happens next.”

“You mean... becoming a Noah?”

“You're quick,” Nea replied with a hint of pride in his tone. “It will either be a slow process that takes several days, perhaps even weeks to complete. Or it will take a matter of hours. It really depends on you.” Allen waited for his uncle to elaborate on that, but apparently he didn't plan on it. “First thing that happens is that the stigmata will form on your forehead. Next is that you'll pretty much be mentally assaulted by my memory. Neither will be a painless experience.”

“Of course not. Nothing ever is,” Allen replied bitterly, to which Nea gave a laugh. “Fine then. When's it supposed to start?”

Nea gave a grin that Allen wasn't too sure he liked. “You'll see soon enough, little nephew. For now, I believe Joyd is trying to wake you up. You should go.”

 _Joyd?_ Before Allen had a chance to ask just who that was, he was thrust out of his dream with one last smile from the Noah.

* * *

 

Allen's groan was muffled when he felt a hand attempting to rouse him awake, and sleepily tried to bat the hand away.

“G'way, Link... wake me when it's dinnertime...”

A low chuckle. “Still think you're at the Order, boy? Rise and shine, it _is_ dinnertime.”

That... definitely wasn't Link. Slowly blinking his eyes open, he rolled over and looked up to the sight of Tyki hovering over him, a lit cigarette dangling from his grinning lips.

“Finally awake? You sure can sleep like the dead when you want to; it took me ten minutes to get you up.”

Allen rubbed his eyes with a bleary yawn, then quickly darted a hand out to swipe the stick right from the older man's mouth. Giving Tyki a look, he crushed it in his hand, ignoring the slight burn.

“I told you not to smoke in my room, Tyki. That rule applies here too.”

Tyki sighed. “You are, without a doubt, the most uptight sixteen-year-old I've ever met,” he muttered. “Anyway, dinner's in ten minutes. The Earl doesn't like it when anyone is late, so up you get.”

“Fine,” Allen groaned again, ignoring Tyki's resulting grin and finding himself rather reluctant to get out of bed. It was ten times more comfortable than the ones at the Order. As he sat up, he stretched his arms high above his head and listened to the satisfying little _pop_ his joints made at the action. Moving to stand, Allen opened his mouth to say something, but his own words were quickly forgotten when a sharp pain lanced through his head and made him hiss at the suddenness.

“Allen?” Tyki's smirk was wiped away in a heartbeat. “Are you alright?”

“I... I don't know.” Allen shook his head, placing a hand on is forehead. What on earth _was_ that? “My head just suddenly...”

“Your head?”

' _Brace yourself, Allen.'_

That was the only warning Allen got before his head exploded with pain, forcing a cry from him as he hunched over on the bed.

Tyki wasted no time moving properly to his side, placing a careful hand on Allen's back. “It this... what I think it is?” he asked, his voice calm, but it sounded forcibly so.

Allen wasn't positive that they were thinking the same thing, but he had a pretty good feeling on what was happening. It felt like someone took a rusty old knife and began slowly and ruthlessly carving into his forehead. Biting his lip to keep from screaming, he nodded shakily, the hand that wasn't cradling his head gripping his bed sheets so tightly that he was surprised they didn't rip.

“Don't fight against the pain,” the older man ordered, the gentle hand on his back somewhat contradicting his firm tone. “Trust me. All fighting does is make it worse. Try to just breathe... wait for it to be over. I'm right here with you.”

It was harder than Tyki made it sound; the pain was unlike anything Allen had ever felt, and he'd felt a _lot_ of pain. He could feel the warmth of his own blood run down his face and drip onto the bed, staining the pure white a bright red. It was terrifying... but Tyki said to trust him. Tyki was there with him. And somehow... that made it better. Swallowing, Allen shakily nodded his head, releasing his lip from between his teeth and tried his best to breathe like Tyki told him. All the while, the man was rubbing his back gently, talking lowly to him to keep him calm.

After what felt like hours—but really must have been about thirty minutes—the pain finally, blessedly began to fade until it was just a dull ache accompanied with a headache. It still hurt, but Allen would rather take that over what was. His quickened breathing slowed and, after a quick self-assessment, he straightened from his hunched position, releasing his death grip on the sheets.

The hand on his back moved to his shoulder, keeping him from moving further than that. “Don't move too much; you'll make yourself dizzy. Wait here and I'll a wet cloth to clean away the blood.” Before Allen could attempt to protest that, Tyki was already up and off to the bathroom.

Staring after Tyki, Allen sighed and reached up to cautiously touch his forehead, and winced when the freshly formed stigmata stung harshly.

' _Careful, they're sensitive at first.'_

'A little _warning_ would have been nice, you know,' he shot back at Nea.

' _I_ did _warn you; I told you to brace yourself, didn't I?' And I really didn't even need to give you that much,_ ' Nea replied dryly. ' _You're lucky that I like you.'_

'Wanker.' Before he could further argue with his uncle, Tyki was back from the bathroom with a moist washcloth.

“Turn your head this way,” the Noah said, and when Allen did so, Tyki began carefully wiping the blood on his face away.

Allen made an indignant noise from the back of his throat that he _refused_ to admit was a whine. “I could have done this myself, you know. I'm not a _child_.”

“Never implied that you were, boy. But trust me, help with this is more needed than you think. I awakened when I was around your age, so I would know.”

That as the first Allen had heard of that. “Really?”

Tyki nodded. “It was about ten years ago, so... yes, I think so. And I'll always be thankful that I wasn't alone.”

“Road?” It was an easy assumption.

“And my brother. I think I've told you about him; he'll be at dinner.” And Tyki had indeed told him about Sheryl, his creepy yet caring older brother. Taking Allen's chin in his fingers, the older Noah looked him over closely before nodding in satisfaction. “There. Now you don't look like you were just mauled by a wild animal,” he commented with a teasing grin.

Allen rolled his eyes, and his brain took that moment to make him aware of just how _close_ his and Tyki's faces were. Blushing, he pushed Tyki away and quickly stood. “A... anyway! We're late for dinner now, right? We should go before someone comes looking for us.”

Tyki chuckled at Allen's reaction. “You have a point. Come on then, I'll show you the way.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't too particularly happy with this chapter, partially because of the lack of banter between Allen and Tyki. It's so fun to write, and I feel like my writing lacks its luster without some good banter here and there. Also writing Lvellie was a challenge, because I hate him so much. But I hope you all enjoyed it! Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> This is a remake of a story I posted here years ago that I never finished. I wanted to make it better because the other one was utter crap (this one seems to be slightly better, at least). I want to try my best and finish this one, but life happens sometimes. I hope you all enjoyed this though!


End file.
